mobile phone
Sony has been in the mobile business full force since its merger with Ericsson in 2001. Microsoft partnered with Nokia in April 2014 and there have been phones bearing the Microsoft’s logo since November of that year. Notice a name missing from this short list?
Nintendo has never been in the mobile business and for years they refused to even consider games for cell phones. However, that hasn’t stopped Nintendo fans mocking up and dreaming of a mobile phone made by their beloved game company. Most have been hilariously bad, but a recent design by the tech website Curved has plenty of good things going for it.
There are seemingly endless things one is not allowed to do on Japanese trains: eat or drink, put on makeup, talk on the phone, take up too much room. Most of these are sensible if strict, making life more pleasant for everybody in a jam-packed carriage. There’s one rule that’s a bit more unusual, though, and that’s the requirement that you switch your phone off near the priority seats.
Mobile phones can interfere with pacemakers, ran the conventional wisdom. So to give passengers with medical equipment a safe haven from electronic interference, most train companies asked passengers to switch phones off completely in certain areas. This summer, rail companies in Kansai more or less ditched that policy, saying it’s no longer necessary. Tokyo, meanwhile, shows no signs of changing the rules. Read More
Look down any crowded train carriage or busy street in Japan and you’re guaranteed to find the majority of people with their heads bent over their mobile phones or other electronic devices. And while there’s no end of anthropologists twittering on about the damage all this constant stimulus is doing to the youth of today, there’s also a very physical risk that can come with cell phone addiction.
A particular tunnel in Guizhou, China has been drawing attention for its unique ability to literally turn back the clock. According to reports, when one drives through the 400 meter tunnel there is a substantial chance that their clocks will go back exactly one hour.
When he realized he’d primarily been using his smartphone in bed, Nemool Smith, an au product designer and chief hardware architect, wanted a more comfortable and rewarding user experience. Coming up blank in an online search for solutions, Nemool got an idea and decided to approach his bosses at KDDI and get their permission to design a radically new hardware platform he was sure would revolutionize the way people used their phones. The result has set the tech world abuzz, and has the potential to vault KDDI to the top of the global smartphone market.
Introducing the new au zzzPhoneBed by KDDI
The world may well be completely besotted with iPhones and Samsung-made Android devices right now, but Sony isn’t prepared to take a back seat and watch its profits and reputation go down the U-bend. In a recent conference, head of Sony Mobile Kunimasa Suzuki pledged to step up and reclaim ground lost in recent years. Rather than making unrealistic promises and declaring out-and-out war on the iPhone, however, the Japanese tech giant is keeping things realistic and is aiming at third place in the world’s mobile market.
Remember way back when Japan was the land of mobile milk and honey. Tales of cell phones with built-it TVs and cameras were the envy of the world. Then Apple stepped in and brought the whole thing crashing down.
Now, as I stand on the train surrounded by people poking at little plastic rectangles I conceal my once luxurious Panasonic P706ie in shame.
To support these once mighty phones, an extensive infrastructure was set up across the country. However, this entire network couldn’t be exported easily and was confined to the islands which made them. They were garapagosu-ka (Galapagos-ized).
We’re sure that there are plenty of people out there who enjoyed just a smidgen too much alcohol or Christmas pudding over holidays and ended up glued to the toilet as a result. Or, if you’re situated in this writer’s native UK, perhaps you’ve recently become acquainted with the chuckle-fest that is Noro virus as it sweeps through the nation like a modern-day diarrhoea and vomit-sponsored Beatlemania.
Well now you can relive that episode of gastric hell on earth with these cute earphone jack stoppers featuring tiny black and white plastic figures clinging to the toilet for dear life while appealing to the gods to “let it stop, oh please let it stop!”







China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning seems to be affecting Osaka’s Namba and Dotonbori neighborhoods
Foreign driver’s license conversion test passes plummet from over 90% to 33% in Japan
Japan’s EF English Proficiency Index rank drops for 11th straight year, hits lowest ever
We suspected this Japanese cable car was an overpriced tourist trip, but we underestimated it
Anime Industry Report shows overseas anime market is bigger than Japanese one, but is this a cultural tipping point?
Godzilla-shaped ice cream on sale in Tokyo near the sight his most adorable rampage
Major Japanese noodle chain is closing on Christmas Eve so workers can spend time with families
From protozoa to tapeworms: Visiting the Meguro Parasitological Museum
Is the all-you-can-eat KFC buffet in Tokyo really as good as they say it is?
Tokyo’s “commuter boat” is an awesome hidden way to see the city from the water for dirt-cheap
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Nintendo’s Kirby now delivering orders at Kura Sushi restaurants, but not in Japan
Yoshinoya adds first-ever chain-wide ramen with new beef and pork-broth noodle hot pot meals
Japan considering raising international traveler departure tax even more than previously reported
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Shibuya’s Don Quijote?
Studio Ghibli stamps lift your spirits with motivational phrases from Totoro
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowd sizes in Nara?
Japanese train company is letting fans buy its actual ticket gates for their homes
Japanese town suing resident for being a jerk
New fish discovered and named “Vanderhorstia supersaiyan” for obvious reasons
Starbucks Japan unveils new Christmas goods and a rhinestone tumbler that costs 19,500 yen
Real-world Nausicaa Ghibli anime glider completes its final flight in Japan【Video】
Brand-new Pokémon park opens in Japan with larger-than-life-size Lapras【Photos】
Unique inclined elevator in Japan leads to a town that inspired Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting tourist crowds in Tokyo’s Asakusa neighborhood?
The 10 best day trips from downtown Tokyo【Survey】
Naturally brown-haired Osaka student sues government for forcing her to dye her hair black
Japanese government considering tripling departure taxes to combat overtourism
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s deadliest food claims more victims, but why do people keep eating it for New Year’s?
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
The top 10 annoying foreign tourist behaviors on trains, as chosen by Japanese people【Survey】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Starbucks Japan reveals new sakura drinkware collection, inspired by evening cherry blossoms
Godzilla-shaped ice cream on sale in Tokyo near the sight his most adorable rampage
Major Japanese noodle chain is closing on Christmas Eve so workers can spend time with families
From protozoa to tapeworms: Visiting the Meguro Parasitological Museum
Is the all-you-can-eat KFC buffet in Tokyo really as good as they say it is?
Tokyo’s “commuter boat” is an awesome hidden way to see the city from the water for dirt-cheap
Visit to a Japanese fish market has us trying tuna eggs for the first time【SoraKitchen】
Japanese convenience store chain has beer and sake dispensers that few people know about
Japan’s Shinkansen trains are getting a Super Mario makeover【Pics】
Clash of the instant ramen! Taste-testing seven instant noodles on a flavor trip across Kyushu
Japanese kimono parka combines traditional fashion with modern streetwear
Tokyo’s Ueno Station has an unmanned noodle restaurant on its platform, and its no-joke good
Can a woman have a good time at a Japanese love hotel on her own? Our reporter investigates
Tokyo’s new burger chain isn’t new, is disappointing, tasty, and hopeful all at once【Taste test】
Visiting Kunozan Toshogu, the shrine where the first lord of Japan’s last shogunate was buried